Turn off the horizon and daylight displays on the top
toolbar. Using the "Settings" button, set the orientation to
Equatorial. Use the "Planet" Palette to center the display
on the Sun and lock on the Sun. Set the field to 100°. Find
Venus on the display and, with the Selection Tool, click on
Venus to display its name. This will help you keep track of
the location of Venus relative to the Sun. Set the date to
January 1, 2006. Set the step size to 1 day and start the
clock. When Venus passes the Sun, stop the clock and step
back and forth until Venus and the Sun are in conjunction.
Using the Selection Tool, point the arrow at Venus to display
its distance from the Earth. Record the date and the
distance of Venus. Restart the clock and repeat for the next
three conjunctions of Venus. Using your data, decide
which conjunctions are superior conjunctions and which
are inferior conjunctions. Calculate the time interval between
successive superior conjunctions and between successive
inferior conjunctions. How do these time intervals
compare with the synodic period of Venus?
